We’re at the end of June, but I didn’t want this month to slip by without acknowledging the incredible, powerful, and important work of the Black Lives Matter movement. I took my time with this post, thinking long and hard about the best way to do my part. I believe it’s by lifting up others.
(Sidebar: Part of lifting up others is reminding you that you should still be WEARING A MASK around other people. Yes, even if you’re outside. You might be fine getting sick, but you also might pass the coronavirus on to someone who may not be able to survive it!)
As a Filipino woman and the daughter of immigrants, I recognize that my ability to have any privilege in North America is because of the incredible and brave civil rights work of countless Black Americans, Canadians, and immigrants of color. I’m truly grateful for this.
To show my gratitude, I continue to learn and unlearn a lot of uncomfortable things in order to become a better ally and antiracist (I highly recommend the documentary the 13th on Netflix and SO YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT RACE by Ijeoma Oluo). I also wanted to share some of the wonderful Black creators I’ve discovered recently. Their content truly shows their passions and joy, and brings a smile to my face. I hope they bring one (or many!) to yours as well.
(BTW, I highly recommend Scout the City’s comprehensive list of Black-owned businesses to support (fashion, beauty, etc), books and movies to consume, and places to donate.)
Bookstagram
Antonia
Antonia’s Instagram is a treasure trove for diverse book recommendations (check out her review of Filipinx author, Randy Ribay’s latest book). I love seeing what up-and-coming books she’s loving so I can get my TBR ready for Fall and Winter new releases!
Jaime Morgan
Another beautiful Instagram with aesthetics I can’t stop staring at! Jaime has a great fiction reading list for both antiracism and black joy, and she got to virtually meet THE Brit Bennett recently. I think that alone makes her highly qualified to give great book recommendations.
Patience E. Randle
I love a good aesthetic and Patience’s Instagram has that and more. Her blog is also just as beautiful. Plus, her post above about N.K. Jemisin rings true for me! I don’t know how I missed this Hugo winning author, but plan to devour my copy of THE FIFTH SEASON soon.
Taryn
Now that I’m querying with my Filipino fantasy book, one of my goals is to use the extra time to read way more. Hopefully, one day I’ll match Taryn’s pace (see all the books she read in February above), but for now, I’m happy to comb through her bright and colorful Instagram for TBR-worthy books.
Writing
Deadline City
Deadline City is more a podcast than an Instagram account, but since I’m featuring everyone’s Insta, I had to do it for theirs as well (continuity guys!) LOL Anyway, I’m a lush for any writing-related podcast and this one is hosted by two experts and authors–Dhonielle Clayton and Zoraida Córdova. Their recent episode on how authors get paid and the #PUBLISHINGPAIDME movement is a must-listen for aspiring authors.
Nic Stone
Nic Stone is an author extraordinaire, but also a fantastic interviewer. I follow her on Instagram for her amazing livestream content, especially with debut authors (the pandemic did a number on all the planned book tours this year!). Up next on my watchlist is her interview with Leah Johnson, whose debut, YOU SHOULD SEE ME IN A CROWN, is slowly making its way to my mailbox!
Food, Lifestyle & Wellness
Alicia Tenise
For my day job, I like to break up work blocks by escaping into my favorite blogs. I’ve recently added Alicia’s to my rotation because she’s that savvy best friend who always has great takeaways about food, wine, fashion, and travel. I am really enjoying posts like this one on Black-owned wineries. And check out her Instagram while you’re at it!
Ayana Lege
I heard about Ayana through the podcast, Bad on Paper, and absolutely adored her down-to-earth, genuine personality (prettttyy sure I just used two synonyms there LOL). Her blog has that same feel, whether she’s sharing thoughts on adult applesauce (I didn’t know it was a thing either!), pregnancy loss and becoming pregnant again (YAY!!), or racism (her post on being an interracial relationship spoke to me). Give her blog a read and her Insta a follow.
Jenné Claiborne
I’ve only made Jenné’s cinnamon tahini cookies so far, but they were scrumptious enough to get me onboard her vegan recipes train (Bonus: The cookies take less than 30 minutes to make from start to finish!). Though I’m a meat eater, I do love eating plant-based as much as I can and now I’ve got a ton more baking and dinner ideas thanks to her amazing blog and Instagram. She also has a cookbook.
Lloyd Rose
As soon as I saw Lloyd’s bbq tofu with mango-sesame dressing bowl, I knew I had to make it (spoiler alert: it’s delicious and so EASY!). I love a good plant-based meal and couldn’t believe the “ribs” in the photo above are actually mushrooms!! He seems to post his drool-inducing recipes mostly on Instagram, but he has a blog with some recipes, too.
TRILLFIT
This Boston-based cardio dance studio is amazing. Not only do they provide killer cardio dance (no dance skills required!) and HIIT-based sculpt classes, but they’re huge on community. When the pandemic hit hardest, they fundraised over $10,000 for local charities and were one of the firsts to offer free Zoom fitness classes. They’re moving to a paid digital membership now and it’s 100% worth it. You can also get their awesome 30-day wellness guide if you’re not ready to commit (or in a troublesome timezone). And no, I’m not sponsored by them at all. I just really love this studio and team! P.S. They have a great list of other Boston-based Black-owned businesses you can support and places to donate and petitions you can sign.
Remember: Black Lives Matter is a movement, not a moment. We need to work DAILY to establish equality and to end police brutality once and for all.
Let me know who your favorite Black creators are via Twitter or Instagram!